Improvement in folding chairs



J. WEBER, Jr. Folding-Chair.

No. 218,607. Patented Aug. 12, 1879.

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N. PETERS, PHOYO-LITHDGRAPHER WASHINGTON. D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

JOHN WEBER, JR., OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO HENRY T. RENNOLDS, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN FOLDING CHAIRS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 218,607, dated August 12, 1879; application filed March 28, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN WEBER, Jr., of Baltimore city, State of Maryland, have invented certain'new and useful Improvements in Folding Chairs; and I hereby declare the same to be fully, clearly, and exactly described as follows, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the chair; Fig.2, a side elevation of the same folded.

My invention has reference to that class of chairs in which the seat and back consist of a continuous strip of a textile fabric or leather, or other equivalent material, and which are adapted to be adjusted to any desired inclination, and to fold together when not in use; and it consists in a chair of that class constructed as hereinafter described, and possessing points of novelty that are made the subjects of the claim.

In the accompanying drawings, a a represent the longitudinal bars of the chair-base,

- which are connected by transverse braces a.

a. In the upper face of each bar a is formed a countersunk ratchet, 1), preferably faced with metal. To the forward ends of the bars a are pivoted, on the outside, at g g, side bars, 0 0, having a transverse brace, d, at their upper ends. On the inside of the bars 0 are pivoted, at f, the seat-bars 0, having transverse braces e c, to which latter and to the bar d the seat 0, of textile fabric or other suitable material, is secured.

The pivots f are inserted through the side bars, 0, at a point nearer to the upper face of the bars than to the lower, and through the seat-bars c nearer to their lower faces than to their upper, the object being twofold-first,

to avoid an unnecessary weakening of the bars, and, second, to admit of the bars, 0, c and a all being folded parallel, as shown in Fig. 2, the pivots 9 being correspondingly located as regards the lower face of the baseframe.

The seat and back strip 0 are so attached to the bars at and e as to be tense when the chair is folded, and to become slack as the bars a are brought toward the perpendicular.

The tension of the strip obviously increases as the bars are lowered, so that the chair may be-practically converted into a sofa or lounge by lowering the bars to the position shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1.

The rearwardly-extended base affords immunity against all danger of tipping which would otherwise arise, as the center of gravity of the chair and its occupant is transferred as the chair is lowered.

All of the bars being perfectly straight and pivoted together, as described, the'chair may be folded into a very small compass, and the arrangement of its parts is such as to secure the maximum of strength with the minimum of weight, while furnishing a thoroughly comfortable chair.

What I claim is-- In combination with the base having countersunk ratchet, the bars 0 and 0, having their pivots f located, respectively, nearer to their upper than to their lower faces, and vice Versa, substantially as and for the purpose described.

JOHN WEBER, JR.

Witnesses:

R. D. WILLIAMS, J. O. GITTINGER. 

